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Whozz on Houzz?

So, you Tweet on Twitter, Hangout on Google+ Hangouts, and Pin on Pinterest. I won't even ask about Facebook, Instagram, Periscope, or Blab. But are you on Houzz? If not, why not? For those engaged in the design community, with over 35 million unique views per month, Houzz could become your #1 source of new business!

Here's how Houzz describes its business:

Houzz has built a marketplace for home products and professional services. By integrating content, community and commerce, and by bringing all industry players together (service providers, homeowners, manufacturers, brands, etc.), Houzz has created an ecosystem for home renovation and design.

If you're business is related to architecture, home building, home renovation, improvement, or design, then Houzz could easily become your best social media tool. Houzz has a very holistic approach to the industry and to running a social platform. Here are the fundamental elements of the Houzz business model:

Photo Database

IdeaBooks

Editorial Content

Professional Directory

Though Houzz started as a mobile app, and still gets extraordinary wide use in the mobile environment, Houzz has become the overall largest website and online community in the home design, decorating, and improvement industry regardless of platform.

If you're already using Houzz, please leave us a note in the comments section describing your Houzz experience. How long have you been on Houzz? How are you using Houzz? Are you making new connections, getting views, engaging with contemporaries in your field? Share your experiences with us. We'd love to hear from you.

Why is it that this room is so successful in its design, with so little in it to impress? Modern styles always seem to pull of that effortless grace that to someone unsure of how to achieve the look might feel intimidated into giving up. But this room has a lot of those modern touches in it and serves as a map to decorating modern.

To begin with, the room itself has almost no color. It lets different shades and textures of neutrals to do the talking instead. There is a gray carpet for some softness, an extremely light gray wood flooring with wider panels, breaking tradition. It also employs white flowing curtains and a rock wall that adds another layer of color and texture. Color is very important when your trying to achieve a modern look, it’s just a matter of how you are using color in ways you hadn’t before.

Another important aspect of designing in this style is to juxtapose metals and glass with nature. In this picture, there are minimalist chairs with smooth metal legs. The coffee table repurposed as a side table for the bed has a decidedly alien look to it. The vases holding plants are clear and clean. All of this in a room dominated by an entire wall of rock that brings us back to nature. The wall is surely the crowning jewel, it is powerful but not overbearing as the owners chose to use a lighter rock to keep things like in a room that could easily be bogged down by too much use of darker materials.

And finally, using minimalist principles will help you achieve a modern look. Notice how there isn’t much frill and instead it lends itself to a more utilitarian approach. This allows all of the small details, such as the vase on the ground next to the chair be appreciated. It keeps clutter out and keeps the modern in.

These are a few tips to help guide you on your road to modernism in your home. Take the time to chose pieces carefully because you won’t have a lot to work with if you want to keep it modern. Good luck!

“It’s all good until someone gets hurt,” is the old saying, and it’s an apt way to describe the initial enthusiasm behind DIY décor projects. They look so pretty online, and once you’ve read the tutorial you’re certain that anyone could pull it off. So, to the store you go. Alas, by the end of the day you’ve discovered that DIY is a true challenge and you’re staring at mess that was meant to be a thing of beauty.

Our advice? Don’t take no for an answer! Keep trying and eventually you’ll create works of art. Truly beautiful and unique projects are for those gals who don’t give up. Resist the urge to return to the world of retail in search of something lovely to add to the home. Forge ahead instead and you’re sure to find success eventually.

Cheery chandelier

If sleek, polished outcomes are your goal in DIY you might want to skip this project. Its intent is a whimsical, far less than perfect outcome that sells itself on its unique character. If you love whimsy and ambient light, though, you will love this idea. The perfect location is a teenage girl’s room or a party decoration for any age!

The only materials are a hula hoop (yes, a hula hoop!), several yards of pretty transparent ribbon, and white Xmas lights on a white wire. Buy a neutral colored hula hoop or one that is a color close to the color scheme of your room. Wrap the entire hula hoop in a layer of ribbon and secure it with hot glue. Tie one end of eight pieces of ribbon at an even spacing around the hula hoop. This is how it will hang from the ceiling.

When it’s time to hang it you will bring them all together at their ends, tie them in a knot, and hang the “chandelier” from a central point on the ceiling. To turn your ribbon hula hoop into a chandelier, wrap strings of white Xmas lights around it. Try the icicle style lights because they will dangle elegantly rather than look like tightly wrapped wires. When your hula hoop chandelier is complete, hang it up, plug it in, and gaze at it adoringly!

Is your interior tired looking? If so there are some easy ways you can spruce it up! You do not necessarily need to redecorate the entire space.

Rearrange shelves, china cabinets and book cases. Simply rearrange the items. If you like you can add or remove items to give your space a more updated look. Play around with various mixtures of items while rearranging. This will ensure that the end result is your favorite.

Re-evaluate your color palette. You may need to streamline your colors by using white or another monochromatic color with only one or two pops of color. Use patterns with care. If you are using a bold pattern, keep other patterns and textures more subdued.

Emphasize vertical lines. This will elongate your ceiling height and make your space feel larger. One way to achieve this is to hang mirrors vertically. Install drapery that hangs down to the floor. This will give the appearance of a higher ceiling and a polished look. Once hung, you can let the drapery hang naturally or use interesting tiebacks. This method can also be used for shower curtains to produce a new look in the bathroom.

Organize your stuff. If you have items sitting out, find a particular place for them. For example, keep smaller items in decorative baskets or boxes or use a tray to keep television remotes together. Once you have organized clutter, your space will look updated and clean.

Switch around your accents. For example move smaller tables from one room to another and see how they look. Swap out accent pillows and throws from one room to another. Move rugs around within the room. Play around with your furniture layout. This is a great way to achieve a fresh look!

Hang new artwork or switch out artwork from one room to another. The end result of these exercises is to breathe new life into a tired space. It is much easier to do than one would imagine. Have fun and think outside the box, then enjoy your new interior!

It seems that decorating a teen boy’s room is bit more challenging than a teen girl’s room. Perhaps because teen girls are often attracted to things easily translated to décor. Boys, however, frequently like things that don’t necessarily bring decorating to mind. The trick to decorating a boy’s room lies within his hobbies, not unlike a man cave, which typically contains interest-based accessories.

In order to pull off this project with finesse, we suggest focusing on ways to rethink the obvious. For example, one of our suggestions below incorporates a sports jersey. Rather than simply frame it though, we offer the idea of using it to make a pillow! The more creatively you can use the things your teen boy already likes, the more impressed he’ll be. They’re naturally appreciative of innovation so you might even get lucky, and hear the words, “Mom! This is SO cool!”

A headboard made of t-shirts featuring favorite sports teams, music artists, etc.

Lampshade painted to look like a car race track.

Well-made paper airplanes hanging from the ceiling with invisible thread.

A rock climbing wall in a room with high ceilings.

DIY bookends comprised of two pieces of wood attached at a right angle, with a baseball glued to the base.

Mount skateboards on the wall to replace standard shelves.

Pillow made of sports jerseys (the back of the shirt should be the front of the pillow).

Large wall transfer of an admired icon, for example, a poet or scholar.

Mount multiple flat screen TV’s so he can enjoy a movie in the background while playing video games, or watch more than one televised sports event at once.

Attach rope to balls that are no longer being used (soccer, basketball, baseball) and hang from the ceiling.